The votes are all in and counted, and here are my top photographs of 2022!
We had a great response this year: 672 people looked through my initial selection of 42 images and voted for their favorites. That’s the second-highest total ever! (The most was 728 votes in 2016; I’ve been doing this every year since 2010.) A big thank you to everyone who took the time to look through these photographs and voice your opinions! I also really appreciate the kind words so many people posted in the comments or sent by email. I wish I could respond to everyone, but please know that I’ve read them all and am very grateful for all your support.
To express our gratitude we’re giving away a print to one of the voters. We assigned a number to each person who voted, and used a random number generator to pick the recipient. And the winner is… Nita Lee! Nita will receive a signed and numbered 16×20 print of her choice from among the 42 original selections. Congratulations Nita!
The image that received the most votes is perhaps a mild surprise: number 6, Curves at Dusk, Death Valley. I like the image very much, but I expected something like the Aurora photograph (number 22) or Moonlit Clouds Over El Capitan (number 36) to get the most votes (both of those did make the top twelve). And the image receiving the second-most votes was also a more intimate scene: number 37, Reflections in the Merced River, Winter.
I decided to make this final list a top twelve, rather than a top ten, because the images that ranked 11th and 12th in the voting were two of my favorites, and I thought they should be in there. So here’s the list of my top twelve images from 2022:
1. Image #6, Curves at dusk, Death Valley NP, California, 389 votes
2. Image #37, Reflections in the Merced River, winter, Yosemite NP, California, 321 votes
3. Image #25, Stormy sunset, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming 297
4. Image #39, Cottonwoods in late-afternoon light, Yosemite NP, California, 291 votes
5. Image #2, Luminous ravine, Death Valley NP, California, 261 votes
6. Image #22, Aurora borealis reflected in a thermal pool, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming, 260 votes
7. Image #12, Rapid and reflections, Colorado River, Grand Canyon NP, Arizona, 251 votes
8. Image #36, Moonlit clouds over El Capitan, Yosemite NP, California, 244 votes
9. Image #28, Sunrise at a glacial lake, New Zealand, 228 votes
10. Image #17, Mist, peaks, and creek at sunset, Sierra Nevada, California, 215 votes
11. Image #3, Sandhill cranes and a foggy sunrise, San Joaquin Valley, California, 209 votes
12. Image #13, Foggy coastline, northern Calfornia, 203 votes
In case you’re curious, filling out the top 15 in votes were numbers 32, 4, and 23.
Did any of my favorites not make the list? Well sure – they’re all favorites, otherwise I wouldn’t have included them in the 42 nominees! But a couple of images jump out at me: number 8, Dogwood, Mist, and the Merced River, Yosemite NP, California, which is one of my favorite dogwoods photographs ever; number 14, Tree Shadows, Rainbow, and Waterfall, California, which I think is pretty unique; and number 16, Waterfall with Backlit Spray, Sierra Nevada, California, which, again, I think is rather unique. Number 8 got 137 votes, and number 14 got 138 votes, so plenty of people liked those images. But number 16 got only 21 votes. Oh well, I think that image needs to seen bigger, or maybe it’s too abstract.
And plenty of my favorites did make the top twelve. Overall I think this is a great collection, with a wide variety of images, including many intimate scenes, and even a wildlife photograph. Good work everyone! 🙂
Again, thank you so much for your participation. This has been really fun for me, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it also. Here are the top twelve images:
6. Curves at dusk, Death Valley NP, California
37. Reflections in the Merced River, winter, Yosemite NP, California
25. Stormy sunset, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming
39. Cottonwoods in late-afternoon light, Yosemite NP, California
2. Luminous ravine, Death Valley NP, California
22. Aurora borealis reflected in a thermal pool, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming
12. Rapid and reflections, Colorado River, Grand Canyon NP, Arizona
36. Moonlit clouds over El Capitan, Yosemite NP, California
28. Sunrise at a glacial lake, New Zealand
17. Mist, peaks, and creek at sunset, Sierra Nevada, Calfornia
3. Sandhill cranes and a foggy sunrise, San Joaquin Valley, California
13. Foggy coastline, northern Calfornia
Related Posts: My Best Images of 2022: the Nominees; My Top Photographs of 2021; My Top Photographs of 2020; My Top Photographs of 2019
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
All stunningly beautiful images Michael!
Thanks so much Jeremy!
I always enjoy your art. thank you!
Thanks very much Michael!
I look forward to these every year.
And it’s always hard to pick “favorites.”
Thank you so much for sharing your art.
Thanks so much Heather!
i missed my chance to vote…but not to revel in their beauty. I love your annual Top Picks posting because I get to see all the seasons of your year, different energies, different color palates. And each one stunning.
May your 2023 be full of love, beauty, and family.
Thanks for then kind words Adair, and I hope you have a great year in 2023 as well!
You had quite the year Michael! All of them absolute stunners.
I really appreciate that David – thanks very much!
You are welcome Michael! It was a hard decision but I like them all!
Thanks so much Randy!
I didn’t get me vote in but I was happy to see my favorites in the final count. #6 and #37 were my top two favorites. Thanks Michael for all that you share.
Thanks Phyllis – your top two favorites were the top two favorites overall for everyone else too.
Oh My Lord God 🙏 Are these available for purchase? Tell me how!
Thanks Mark! Yes, of course they’re available as prints. You can see the available sizes and prices here:
https://www.michaelfrye.com/portfolios/print-ordering/
You can place an order and then just let me know which image(s) you want a print of.
Gorgeous work, I hope the new year brings you to even more beautiful moments.
Thanks so much James!
These are all truly stunning works of art Michael!
Thanks very much Nancy!
I can’t see #37 enough!
Glad you like that image Phyllis, thanks!
As always, beautiful work!
Thanks very much Brenda!
Although I did not vote, I agree with the winning image number 6. While all of these images were stunning and many are beyond my technical novice expertise to capture. In the curves in Death Valley image, you took a subject photographed many times, by many people and created a stunning composition that results in a visual meditation, leading the eye throughout the frame and back to a starting point where it is pleased to start again. It truly is a zen composition, and along with the peaceful, calming colors, it creates a visual “breath work” type of flow or rhythm.
Thanks so much Jennifer! I’m glad you like that image, and I appreciate your thoughtful analysis.
Incredible images as always! Pleasure to meet you after you captured #36. Fantastic image! Following your blog has taught me that some of the best images can be captured in the middle of the night in winter.. 🙂
Thanks Jason! It was nice meeting you as well. Hope you got some good photos that night.
Stunning images, Michael! Six of my votes made it into the top 10. I’ve been doing this for several years and once I actually won the print, which we like very much. In the last few years, my wife (who is not a photographer) is looking forward to this, too. It’s a great way to end the past year or start the new one. Happy New Year to you, your family and all of your readers! 😀
Thanks Gabor! I remember you winning the print – glad you still like it. Happy New Year to you as well!